The United States and China are Colombia’s biggest trade partners.
The State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on May 15 that the United States will oppose international groups funding Chinese regime-backed projects in Colombia, a day after the South American nation signed a pact to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
“The U.S. will strongly oppose recent projects and upcoming disbursements by the @the_IDB and other IFIs for Chinese state-owned and controlled companies in Colombia (and other BRI countries in the region),” the bureau
stated on social media, referring to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other international financial institutions.
“These projects endanger the region’s safety and security. American tax dollars SHOULD NOT be used in any way by international organizations to subsidize Chinese companies in our hemisphere.”
IDB, which is the main source of development financing in Latin America and the Caribbean, did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Epoch Times. According to its
website, it is involved in several ongoing projects in Colombia in various sectors, such as financial markets, agriculture, rural development, and sanitation.
On May 14, Colombia’s Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia
announced the nation’s entry into the BRI on social media, calling it their “boldest step in decades” and adding that “there was no turning back.” It was a move Colombian President Gustavo Petro had confirmed days prior. The Colombian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Epoch Times.
The United States and China are Colombia’s biggest trade partners, and the Chinese regime has been vying for more influence in the region.
China recently held large
forums on cooperation between Latin American and Caribbean states, inviting several heads of state and hundreds of businessmen. Petro was among the participants, as was Chilean President Gabriel Boric, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who on May 14 entered into a multibillion-dollar deal with Beijing, already its largest trade partner. Brazil represents an important trade partner for China as well, as a key food supplier, but notably has not
joined the BRI.
In the region, Panama also stands as an exception. In February, it announced that it would not be
renewing its BRI agreement with China in 2027, and is determining whether it can be terminated earlier. This would make it the first Latin American country to leave the pact after joining.
Many U.S. officials and experts have been critical of BRI, which,
encompassing more than 100 countries, is the world’s largest infrastructure funding initiative. The initiative allows the Chinese regime to finance large developments on foreign soil while advancing geopolitical and economic interests. Critics say the BRI is “debt-trap diplomacy,” as the large loans the Chinese regimes write to other nations come with risky repayment plans.
Panama’s BRI exit was announced during U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio’s trip to the country. Rubio met Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino and told him that the United States had concerns over the CCP’s “current position of influence and control” around the Panama Canal and that this was “unacceptable,” based on the neutrality treaty that allowed the United States to transfer control of the canal to Panama nearly three decades ago.
Reuters contributed to this report.
